Heaven Standing Open
by KilroyWasHere
Summary: A series of drabbles set pre, post, and during cannon. Includes Blue Bloods through The Van Alen Legacy. Stories feature Schuyler, Mimi, Jack, Bliss, Oliver, Kingsley, and Dylan. MAJOR SPOILER WARNING! Title comes from the Book of Revelations 19:11.
1. Kiss and Consume

"**Like fire and powder, which as they kiss, consume"**

—**Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare**

He stares up at her, at her beautiful face hallowed in golden-crimson curls, her lovely green eyes wide in amazement and disbelief.

He's too late, he knows. He's been too late for about two years now. In fact, he was too late before he was even called forth in this life.

Lucifer is here. He's not rising, he's not coming, he's here. Now. Encased in the doomed shell of the girl he loved.

Dylan knows all of this. He also knows that in coming back, he has likely doomed himself.

All of these thoughts have crossed his mind, but he can't think about them anymore. All he wants now is one last loving look, one last kiss from a dark angel, before he gives himself up to his fate.

"I know who the Silver Blood is."


	2. And In Itself Pt 1

**Jack and Schuyler: A Heaven of Hell **

**The mind is its own place, and in itself**

 **Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n**

 **-Satan, **_**Paradise Lost**_**, Book 1, lines 254-255**

He's doomed. He knows he's doomed. He knows he'll end up lying strapped to a bed, a weak shadow of his former self. He knows, but he doesn't care.

No, that's not right. He cares, just not about himself. He cares that he will be leaving Schuyler alone, that she will lose another person she loves to silence and oblivion. He cares that his parents will mourn, even if their grief is only nominally real. He cares that he will hurt Mimi—regardless of his changing feelings, he never wanted to cause her pain.

He cares…but he loves her more.


	3. And In Itself Pt 2

This is a different take on the last scene of _Revelations_…basically, what if this is just…normal for them. It's also a companion to the previous piece.

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**The mind is its own place, and in itself**

 **Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n**

 **-Satan, **_**Paradise Lost**_**, Book 1, lines 254-255**

**Jack and Mimi: A Hell of Heaven**

Afterwards, he stirs, climbs slowly to his feet, head pounding and body sore. After weeks of Schuyler's soft kisses, that was…invigorating. She moves next to him, a glance letting him know that she's awake and watching.

They say nothing as they dress, but it's not an uncomfortable silence. It's the silence of two ancient beings who have done this dance before, and who will do it a million times again.

It's only as they stroll down the sidewalk later, looking at nothing but giving each other time to think, that he finally speaks.

"I thought…I thought I could change, for her. I thought I could be what she needed, and in changing, I could be good."

She smiles sadly at him, taking his hand and letting him know she understands, if not the process, then the reasons behind it.

"We're Hell's Angels, my darling. We're not meant to be _good_."


	4. Eat a Peach

This is the first time Jack invites Schuyler to the apartment, and her decision to accept his invitation. Title and last line from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

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**Do I dare eat a peach?**

**--T.S Eliot **

Her third night there, a book appears under her door. _Whispers of Immortality_, poetry by T.S. Eliot. Inside the book, on the same page as _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_, is a scrap of paper. Written on the scrap is an address, date, and time.

She knows what this means, what he's asking and what he's willing to give. He's asking her to hide, to lie, to break all the rules and defy everyone she cares about. But what he's willing to give her in return….

She takes a deep breath. Does she dare disturb the universe?


	5. Womanizer

What if it wasn't Jack Mimi was trying to protect?

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**Boy don't try to front I know just what you are **

**~Britney Spears, "Womanizer"**

"Be honest. You never loved me."

"What? No, of course I—"

"Liar. He can't help but lie, though. It's in his nature. I should know. He's lied to me for ten thousand years."

"No I –"

"Lied to you, while he pretended to love me."

"Exactly. And of course, if he'd ever actually gotten you—"

"He'd have immediately turned his eyes towards some other girl."

"You're wrong, both of you! I wouldn't, I haven't, I—"

"And now he's got a new toy."

Jack bolts upright in bed, staring wildly around him. Next to him, Schuyler stirs but doesn't wake.

He leans back, breathing hard. Weird dream. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to shake it, shake them, but they won't leave. He turns to look at Schuyler, and he could swear he sees the pale specters of his dream, Mimi and Gabrielle, watching over her.

_Go on,_ their eyes dare him. _Hurt her too._


	6. Unreflecting Love

**And when I feel, fair creature of an hour! **

**That I shall never look upon thee more,**

**Never have relish in the faery power**

 **Of unreflecting love;—then on the shore **

**Of the wide world I stand alone, and think, **

**Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink**

**----"When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be" by John Keats **

There are fates worse than death. If anyone knows this, it's Mimi Force. She's seen some, over her thousand-plus years on this planet.

Allegra van Alen suffers a fate worse than death, and she can't understand why Schuyler doesn't see it. It's her mother, after all. Schuyler's the one who spends an hour every Sunday just staring at her. Shouldn't she know? Shouldn't she realize?

Mimi already knows what's worse than death. She lives it. Having the man to whom you dedicated your life, pledged your love, defied the very laws of Heaven and Hell to be with look at you and turn away to another…that is a fate worse than death. But still, unbidden, unwanted, she loves him so much she will ignore his infidelity, his betrayal, and strive with every inch of her being to save him.

She does not wish to spend Sunday mornings in the hospital.


	7. Nine Hundred NinetyNine

This is Schuyler right after she lies to Jack and says she doesn't love him. I always imagined Oliver as her 'Thousandth Man.'

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**His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,**

**In season or out of season.**

**Stand up and back it in all men's sight --**

**With **_**that**_** for your only reason!**

**Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide**

**The shame or mocking or laughter,**

**But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side**

**To the gallows-foot -- and after!**

**--Rudyard Kipling, "The Thousandth Man"**

She sees nothing as the elevator deposits her on the first floor, hears nothing as the doorman whistles for a taxi.

She tastes nothing as her lips move and give the driver the address, smells none of the normal smells of a New York taxicab.

Her fingers feel nothing as she hands him the money, as she grasps the metal handle and opens the glass door.

Another lobby, another elevator, another apartment.

She is blind, deaf, mute, and numb until the door opens. He takes one look at her and pulls her into his arms, and the world comes crashing down.


	8. Wish

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.  

~Oscar Wilde

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Mimi Force hates Schuyler van Alen. She hates her with all the passion and depth of Hell, all the coldness and certainty of death. Why? Not because Mimi has to live with her. Not because she shouldn't exist. Not even because she loves Jack.

No, Mimi Force hates Schuyler van Alen because Schuyler is selfish.

It's to be expected, Mimi knows. After all, Schuyler is only a teenager, with a teenager's wants and demands and need for instant gratification. Mimi has masqueraded as a teenager many times, and by know she has the role figured out: the more selfish and self-centered you act, the more they love you.

Everyone thinks Mimi's got the game down to an art, to an exact science. How little they know. Mimi isn't the most selfish girl in school. No, the most selfish girl is the thin little waif with the locker next to her, with her baggy clothes and pale skin and big eyes and dark hair.

They look at Mimi, with her Coco Chanel bag and Gucci shoes and Juicy Couture jacket and think she's selfish. And maybe she is. But she's never doomed a man to death for the price of a few kisses.


	9. Darkness Unto Darkness

Set immediately after Mimi returns from South America at the end of Revelations.

**Let darkness unto darkness tell **

**Our deep unspoken prayer, **

**For, while our souls in darkness dwell, **

**We know that Thou art there. **

**--Alfred Noyes, A Prayer in Time of War**

He hears the door slam and looks up, annoyed. He'd hoped to have at least a few more hours away from his demanding twin. He hears her walking up the stairs, footsteps heavier than usual, and snags the nearest book off the floor, burying his face in it. The less he has to speak to her, the better.

Then she appears in the doorway, and the book falls unnoticed from his hands. There's nothing on the surface that would alert the casual observer that something was wrong. Her hair and clothes are perfect, and if her eyes are a little dull and tired, it's to be expected after an eight-hour flight.

But he is not the casual observer. He has been looking at her for a thousand years, and he knows instantly something is wrong.

"What happened?" he asks her, standing and pulling out his desk chair, which she collapses into gratefully.

"Nan Culter was a Silver Blood. The entire Committee's dead, including Lawrence."

"_What?_" he gapes at her, but she only stares back numbly. Some distant part of him realizes she's in shock.

"How did you survive?" he asks her quietly.

"The same way we always have." Finally, she met his eyes, and for what seems like the first time in this lifetime, she does not look like a spoiled socialite, but an ancient warrior.

"Are you…okay?" he asked hesitantly, unsure what else to say. For one second, he thought the cold façade might crack, that she might reach out to him like she used to, but then it slammed back in place and she looked at him coolly.

"I'm fine. I suggest you practice with your sword. It may have escaped your notice, but there's a war coming, and I'd hate for you to be caught unprepared."

As she stood and glided out of his room, Jack told himself he had not heard an edge of sarcasm in her parting words.


	10. A Thousand Lifetimes

**A thousand lifetimes have passed since **

**My Passion first spoke unto me these words: **

**'Go forth and speak that which is locked **

**Within the timelessness of your soul and trust**

 **The listener to understand.'**

**---"Wisdom" from the Book of Daniel**

Slipping in late from attending a play with Oliver—although she'd claimed to be studying with Bliss—Schuyler froze at the foot of the stair. Peering through the railing, she could see Charles slumped in an armchair, blue terrycloth robe hanging loosely off his shoulders.

Schuyler sighed. The sight was not uncommon these days, and as much as she disliked her uncle, it was hard to hate him while he looked so…pathetic.

"Uneasy sits the head that wears the crown."

Schuyler turned and flinched. She hadn't even noticed Mimi's arrival until she murmured in Schuyler's ear.

"What?" Schuyler whispered, looking at her cousin in confusion.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Never mind." she said as she walked up the stairs, $500 stilettos leaving holes in the carpet.

Schuyler paused before following. It was times like this that made her remember that Mimi was over ten thousand years old.


	11. Rare and Radiant

I'm expanding the drabbles to include _The Van Alen Legacy_. Those who read the fourth book carefully will understand this piece.

**For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named**

**~Edgar Allen Poe, "The Raven"**

The first time he saw her, she was poking her golden goblet, staring down at the cutlery in boredom while her husband listened raptly to everything the emperor was saying, nodding his head seriously to show his attentiveness.

She was lovely, but then so were all the other women at the banquet. His eyes started to move on, to look for a new distraction, when a sudden movement of her hand caught his attention. As he watched, fascinated, her fingers deftly twisted and folded the silk napkin, molding it into a new shape.

He had to clap a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter when he saw she had formed it into an exact likeness of the emperor, beaky nose and all, mouth half open and chin tilted up as if he was saying something very important.

Until that moment, Gemellus had never believed in love at first sight.


	12. So Closely Allied

**My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied.**

**~Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" **

Crouched on the floor behind his parents' bed, Benjamin Force watches as the grownups scurry back and forth, grabbing bags and shoes, tugging on coats and speaking to each other in clipped tones.

Even though Benjamin is only four, he knows what's going on. They're going out, relegating him again to a babysitter who will lock him in the nursery and spend the entire night in front of the TV. Tomorrow there will be kisses and gifts and apologies, but tonight there is only the overwhelming feeling of abandonment and loss.

After the door slams, he creeps out from behind the bed, stuffed tiger trailing sadly behind him as he heads for his room.

As he passes his mother's vanity, his foot catches on something and he trips, sprawling on the plush carpet. He pulls himself up and looks in time to see a tiny patent leather shoe disappear under the vanity. Bending back down, he sticks his head under and finds his sister, tears staining her cheeks as she wipes her runny nose on the sleeve of her dress.

They stare at each other for a moment, green eyes meeting green, and then he reaches up and knocks over his mother's jewelry box.

It falls to the floor with a terrific crash, diamonds and pearls and priceless pendants scattering all over the carpet. She stares at him for a moment, shocked, and then she giggles and crawls out from under the vanity.

"Blackjack," she says, poking him in the chest, and he smiles.


	13. The Highwayman

**Not til the dawn had he heard it, **

**His face grew pale to hear, **

**How Bess the landlord's daughter, **

**The landlord's black haired daughter, **

**Had watched for her love in the moonlight—**

**And died in the darkness there**

**~Alfred Noyes, "The Highwayman" **

Oliver knows Jack Force is a vampire.

Not because he's been studying the lore since he was six. Not because the boy is ungodly handsome and talented. Not even because he's a familiar.

When Schuyler is around Oliver, she tells him everything—all her fears and insecurities, her problems and opinions, her hopes and dreams, all the crazy things that cross her mind.

When Schuyler is around Jack, she is mute and shy, clinging to his side, eyes staring adoringly—emptily—up at him, nodding rapturously to everything he says.

Oliver knows Jack Force is a vampire, because he is sucking Schuyler's soul.


	14. Little Feet

**Be careful little eyes what you see, **

**It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings. **

**Be careful little feet where you go, **

**It's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow. **

**~Casting Crowns, "Slow Fade" **

Jack Force watches carefully from behind a banister as his father leads the beautiful woman towards his office door. She stumbles a little against his side, giggling, and he kisses the place where her neck and shoulder meet.

Not even his mother is allowed in his father's office. _It's okay to love many women_, Jack thinks, _as long as your wife does not see_.

Schuyler Van Alen lays her head on her mother's pillow, stroking her hair lovingly. All of the nurses speak in hushed, reverent tones that they think she can't hear about how her mother willingly stopped living when her father died.

She plucks her mother's cold, lifeless hand as the nurses lead her away. _You must always be faithful to the man you love,_ Schuyler thinks, _even if it kills you_.

Bliss Llewellyn stands silently in the doorway as her father and stepmother peer down at her new baby sister. They speak contemptuously, as if the baby could understand their derision, and within minutes they abandon her to the nanny.

She notices they never actually touch the baby, however. For all their talk, her parents are afraid. Afraid of a baby. _People are not always what they seem_, Bliss thinks, _and the weak can overcome the strong_.

Mimi Force kicks her feet moodily as her mother try on yet another dress, turning every which way to make sure it flatters her figure. Mimi wonders what the big deal is—the dress looks just like the last twenty to her.

A week later, she sees all the women at the Lincoln Center gala fawn over her mother and her immaculate dress. _Things should be valued for their cost and appearance,_ Mimi thinks, _because they can buy you love_.

Kingsley Martin hides behind a divan in his living room as his parents speak to the man in the immaculate suit and the severe grey hair with the funny accent. Although they act eager and excited, Kingsley can tell they are frightened by what he is asking.

His mother starts to refuse, but the man snaps sharply at her, and his parents immediately cast their eyes down, submitting to the man. _You must harden your heart and hide your true feelings_, Kingsley thinks, _so they can't rip you to shreds_.


	15. Not As We

What if Kingsley left instead of coming to the wedding? Everything else played out the same, and this starts right after Jack receives Oliver's text at the end of TVAL. (Just because I'm hopelessly romantic…)

**Day one, day one, start over again**

**Step one, step one I'm barely making sense **

**For now I'm faking it 'til I'm pseudo making it**

**From scratch begin again but this time **

**I as I and not as we**

**--Alanis Morissette, "Not As We"**

Jack opens his mouth to tell the driver JFK, but he pauses. "Wait." he says, then climbs out and runs into the church.

"Mimi." he calls, and she turns to him, expression first puzzled and then shocked and furious as she reads Oliver's text in his mind. "Wait." he says, before the screaming starts. "Come with us."

"What? No! I'm not going anywhere, and neither are—"

"We'll go to Paris." he blurts. "We'll go to Paris, and we'll find him."

She freezes, eyes wide, but he's already seen hope flicker across her face and he knows he's won.

"Mimi, I care about you, and I know you care about me. Come with Schuyler and I, and I swear we'll find Kingsley. I'll even promise not to kill him for seducing my sister." he says, a weak attempt at humor.

She takes a deep breath, duty and desire warring on her beautiful face, and then she turns and blows out the candle and takes his hand.


	16. Preserve the Truth

Hey all. I'm looking for suggestion to continue these things. Any scene you'd like to see from someone else's POV, any omitted scenes from any of the books…let me know and I'll see what I can do.

"**It is presumably better, indeed one's duty, to do away with even what is close to one's heart in order to preserve the truth."**

**--Aristotle, **_**Nicomachean Ethics**_

Somewhere over Greenland, Schuyler's head slipped off Oliver's shoulder, awakening her with a jolt.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty."

She smiled and mumbled a reply, blinking as Oliver set a covered tray in front of her.

"Lukewarm airline food." he said. "Eat up."

"Mm, you spoil me," she said, poking a yellow blob, which might have been Tiramisu in a previous life.

"Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…do you regret…leaving him?" he grimaced, as if he wished he hadn't asked.

"A bit, I guess." she said, looking down so he wouldn't see the truth in her eyes. His fingers grasped her chin and tilted her face up. Reluctantly, she met his gaze. _I'll live the lie if you will_, his eyes said, and Schuyler swallowed a sigh. She wished she could love him as much as he loved her.

"Let's go be heroes." he said.


	17. Sign Up Your Name

**Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical,**

**liberal, fanatical, criminal.**

**Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're**

**acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!**

**--Supertramp, "The Logical Song" **

He hates them. With their laxer jackets, their easy smiles, their chinos and untucked shirts and casually tossled hair.

They tell themselves they are Good Men, men who will go out and change the world. They will run for office, kiss babies, shake men's hands, and take the men's young wives back to their offices and smile until they get what they want.

And then they will go home and kiss their own wives and children, and go to bed secure in the knowledge that they are Good Men.

Kingsley watches Jack Force standing moodily at the front of the church and covers a snort. He'll fit right in.


	18. In Silent Hurt

"**The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized - and never knowing"**

**--David Viscott **

"I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Jack told his sister, kissing her cheek as she approached security. "Try not to die."

She laughed, and Jack backed away as the smile dropped off his face. Mimi wasn't his favorite person at the moment, but her leaving meant he had no one to talk to.

Jack slouched away, thinking so hard he didn't see the man until they walked into each other.

"Sorry, I—Dad!" Jack said, looking up in surprise. "What—where are you going?"

"Paris." Charles said shortly. "Leviathan." he murmured, in answer to his son's questioning look, so quiet no human could possibly hear.

Jack's eyes widened. His father was no doubt walking into a very dangerous, potentially deadly situation.

He didn't hesitate. "I'll go with you."


End file.
